Rent vs buy in Aurora, CO

In Aurora, Colorado, typical rent is $1,742 /mo and typical home value is $447,833.

Rent

Renting comes out ahead by $22k over 7 years

The calculation uses 20% down, today's mortgage rate, Aurora's typical rent and Aurora's typical home value. The break-even point is year 10.

A clearly labeled opinion with the math shown. The figures are estimates rather than quotes. The stamp changes when you change a number.

Renting is ahead by: $22k
Break-even point: year 10
Actual cost of owning: $3,781 /mo

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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Aurora?

Renting costs $21,953 less over 7 years, including the money you get back when you sell. For the first 9 years, renting costs less. In year 10, owning catches up.

Renting Owning Net cost by year so far

Comparing average rent and mortgage payments in Aurora

Rent and mortgage payments don't cover the full picture. At Aurora's typical price, these are all monthly costs for year 1.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,742	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$2,442	$2,152 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$194	0.52% of the value a year
Insurance	$147	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$373	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$3,156	$290 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$728	At 8.3% a year, that is what the cash would earn.
Buying costs, spread out	$187	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$3,781	Cash paid out, minus the equity share, plus both lines above.

Aurora verdict figures

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $447,833
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $1,742 /mo
Down payment20% avoids private mortgage insurance, which the engine does not model: 20%
Mortgage rateFreddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US): 7.24%
Home price growthFHFA house price index, Colorado, 1995 to 2025: 5.2% a year
Rent growthCPI rent of primary residence, yearly growth 2006 to 2026: 3.5% a year
Return on savings60% S&P 500 with dividends and 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced yearly, 1928 to 2025: 8.3% a year
Property taxCensus ACS 2020-2024, Aurora: 0.52% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Aurora: $147 /mo
MaintenanceFannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%: 1% of value a year
Buying costsFreddie Mac, middle of 2% to 5%: 3.5% of price
Selling costsAgent commission plus closing costs: 6% of price

What would reverse the Aurora result?

Each line marks the threshold that changes the 7-year verdict for Aurora. Everything else stays the same.

Renting wins in these cases

Home prices grow by less than 5.8% per year; our calculation uses 5.2%, Colorado's long-run average.
The mortgage rate remains above 6.37%.
Renting a home like this costs less than $1,980 a month; the typical local figure is $1,742.
Your move happens before year 10.

Buying wins in these cases

Home prices rise by more than 5.8% a year.
Today's rate is 7.24%; you lock one under 6.37%.
The same home would cost over $1,980 a month to rent.
You stay for at least 10 years.

How Aurora compares with the other 812 cities

Measure	Aurora	Median city
Typical home value	$447,833	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,742 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	21.4 (#270 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	4.6% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	1.3% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.52%	0.87%
Households that rent	38%	42%

Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.

More cities in Colorado

Renting wins by $37k in Denver, CO.
Renting wins by $17k in Colorado Springs, CO.
Renting wins by $47k in Arvada, CO.
Buying wins by $5k in Pueblo, CO.
Renting wins by $147k in Boulder, CO.

Colorado rent vs buy figures